Department of Energy Defers to U.S.G.S. on Shale Gas Estimates

In a report released Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey increased its own calculations on the amount of natural gas within the Marcellus Shale. From their previous report published in 2002, the U.S.G.S amended its measurements of untapped shale gas 40 times higher.
But the 84 trillion cubic feet of natural gas the U.S.G.S says lies within the Marcellus Shale is far less than estimates made in July by the Energy Information Administration. The EIA reported the Marcellus Shale holds more than 400 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
So, why the huge gap? A spokesman for the EIA says they haven’t yet figured that out. But, Jonathan Cogan tells StateImpactPA that the U.S.G.S is the gold standard when it comes to the final say on how much gas lies beneath Pennsylvania’s forests and farms.

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